In Praise of Salty Breakfasts

This beautiful illustration by Kelly Waters of a delicious sounding rice porridge recipe from Mission Chinese reminds me of how much I love salty breakfasts. How about you?

At first I was going to speak out in favor of savory breakfasts, but I realized that it's salty breakfasts in particular that I love: Jook, miso soup, bacon, lox, krauts of all manner. I've even been known to dine on truffle salt sprinkled on avocado toast with my morning tea. There's just something about those salty, savory, umami-laden dishes that really get me going in the morning. What's your favorite salty breakfast?

→ Kelly Waters' illustration and the recipe for Westlake Rice Porridge from Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese can be found here, at Sous Style.

I can't wait to try this porridge, which you could also refer to as a jook or congee. It begins by boiling a whole, salt-brined chicken (exciting!) with jasmine rice to create a rich, flavorful broth. Take out the chicken, remove the meat and add it back into the rice along with crab, boiled eggs, ginger, cilantro, scallions, garlic and fish sauce. Yum!

Be sure to check out more of Kelly Waters' illustrations on Sous Style, including some delicious sounding smørrebrød from Bar Tartine. If you live in the Bay Area, you can see more of her work at Pot + Pantry in San Francisco, with an opening reception on February 21.